Major European Research Infrastructures: what role can Italy play? (Press review)

The Second Joint Conference of Italian Societies of Synchrotron Light and Neutron Spectroscopy (SILS-SISN) begins Thursday, September 1, in the Aula Magnia of the Androna Baciocchi campus of the University of Trieste. Along with an occasion for scientific advancement, it provides an opportunity for experts to discuss Italian policies on research. The conference is organized with the collaboration of the Interuniversity Consortium on the Structure of Matter, the University of Trieste and Sincrotrone Trieste.

The two national societies SILS and SISN represent the community of physicists, chemists, engineers, biologists, and geologists who use the instruments and methods provided by major international research infrastructure, such as synchrotrons or neutron sources, to study the structural and dynamic properties of matter. During the conference, which draws together for the second time over one hundred participants from the two societies, recent scientific results and cutting-edge methodological and instrumental developments will be presented. Participants will also have the opportunity to visit the new FERMI@Elettra light source managed by Sincrotrone Trieste, which has recently become operative.

The second day of the conference will begin with a roundtable on major European research infrastructures. In particular, Italy’s participation in three major research infrastructures of the European Roadmap (ESFRI) will be presented.  Sincrotrone Trieste is playing a leading role in this participation by coordinating and stimulating the preparation and funding of feasibility studies for Italy’s "in-kind" contributions. These include EuroFEL, a network of European labs equipped with ultra-short pulsed sources of coherent, extremely brilliant light, which includes FERMI@Elettra, X-FEL, the European free-electron laser currently under construction in Hamburg, and ESS, the new neutron source under construction in Lund, Sweden, with 17 partner countries involved on a large scale. With the launch of this major research infrastructure, the European Community aims to endow itself with facilities that can attract the world’s best researchers, host them, and provide them with the right environment, best equipment and most advanced technology for the analysis of materials.

Last Updated on Friday, 27 January 2012 12:37